More (maybe) on the R.I.P round

When the R.I.P. (Radically Invasive Projectile) round hit the market recently it created quite a furor. Reactions ranged from accusations of gimmickry and hype to questions of “morality” and suggestions that was caused “too much damage.”

Yes – I had more than one conversation with people who thought it “looked like it would cause too much damage” and therefore should be restricted in its distribution, or outlawed altogether. Another person suggested it shouldn’t be used because the fragments would be “too difficult for doctors to remove from someone” who survived being shot and made it to the OR – or that they’d actually injure the surgeon doing the work (remember the Black Talons?).

Such is the nature of internet punditry.

I’m not a ballistician. When it comes to my handgun ammunition I tend to utilize those rounds that have been used for long enough to have actually been practically tested, meaning metal has met the meat and bad guys were put down. This typically means something LEOs have used, and is usually a round that has cycled thousands of times on the range under various conditions. I retain a healthy skepticism of any bullet that is newer/better/deadlier, particularly one that’s as slickly advertised and over-hyped as the R.I.P. was in the initial videos. In today’s overly litigious society I’d would personally hesitate to use a bullet marketed this way (as I imagine most LE agencies would). None of that, of course, is empirical evidence for or against the bullet’s performance.

The R.I.P. cartridge could actually be “the last round you’ll ever need,” but G2 didn’t do themselves any favors by having their videos narrated by Wolverine with death or glory music in the background. That may be one reason these videos were put together (see below).

As you can see, they were made at the behest of G2 Research, the manufacturer of the R.I.P. That should be kept in context and the videos watched through that filter, for obvious reasons. The fact that the test results are presented by the manufacturer could mean a lot or nothing – the videos are here for you to watch and draw your own conclusions. Note that you’ll have to sit through a lot of discussion by the evaluator, much of which has little directly to do with the round but does attempt to establish his bonafides and background.

In these tests the R.I.P. 9mm round penetrated 4 layers of denim into gel a minimum of 15 1/2″, with a trocar paddle spread of approximately 4 1/2″ to 5″; it did not penetrate a Level III vest and did not cause malfunctions while cycling. Is it a wonder bullet? I doubt it, but I could certainly be wrong. Hell maybe you’ll be able to bend the damn things like Wesley and Fox.

I’ll be honest, I was unable to sit through the entirety of both videos – I scrolled forward repeatedly. Maybe you’ll have better luck.